Happy “Spotlight Wednesday”!
Today, I’m excited to share with you some of this week’s most inspiring success stories and tips from the CBQ community.
Let’s dive in!
Inspiring Success
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Ginger Wentz from Mississippi, US, celebrated 5 years smoke-free!
Ginger is a Navy veteran, lawyer, landscaper, mom, and grandma who knew she could do anything she put her mind to! But when she had tried to quit in the past, stressful moments had pulled her back to cigarettes. This time, she wanted her quit to last. Looking for a different approach, Ginger found the CBQ Program and decided to join.
As Ginger worked through the program, she focused on changing her relationship with cigarettes and slowly neutralizing her triggers. She also learned how to handle stress without turning to cigarettes before her quit date. By following each day of the program and gradually making small daily changes, she quit and never looked back!
After her 3-year milestone, Ginger shared her journey in an Ask An Ex interview, where we discussed how she quit for good this time, the life lessons she learned from quitting, and the joys and freedoms she discovered as a non-smoker.
5 years after her quit date, Ginger is still a happy non-smoker and enjoying life without depending on nicotine. This is what she shared yesterday:
This is Ginger with her CBQ Success Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Nicolas Tamajón from Badajoz, Spain, celebrated 3 years smoke-free!
After smoking for 16 years and trying to quit around seven times over the course of a decade, Nicolas began to see how much smoking was taking him away from the activities he loved.
When he joined the CBQ Program, one exercise stood out right away: keeping a smoking notebook. Recording every cigarette made him more aware of his smoking habits and helped him see them differently.
Halfway through the program, Nicolas went on holiday and paused the lessons on Day 7. But he kept using his smoking notebook, continued with the exercises, and stayed committed to his quit date.
When his quit date arrived, Nicolas smoked his last cigarette and quit. Even after quitting, he went back to the lessons and completed the program to protect his new smoke-free life.
This is what Nicolas shared on his 1-year milestone:
3 years after his quit date, Nicolas is still a happy non-smoker.
This is Nicolas with his CBQ Success Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Peter Halse from Queensland, Australia, celebrated 1 year smoke-free!
For Peter, quitting smoking became more than a physical change. After joining the CBQ Program, he worked through the lessons and described the process as “a spiritual and mental journey with physical outcomes.”
After completing the program, Peter quit smoking. This is what he shared about his journey:
1 year later, Peter is still smoke-free and enjoying his freedom. Here’s what he shared recently:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Elly Stewart from Pennsylvania, US, celebrated 2 years smoke-free!
After 52 years of smoking, Elly wanted to quit but felt too attached to her routine. While looking for ways to quit without struggling with willpower, she found the CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program and joined.
During the first days of the program, Elly found it difficult to imagine a life without cigarettes. But she stayed committed to the program, used the support available, and learned how to use mindpower instead of willpower.
By Day 10 of the program, Elly was ready to quit. She smoked her last cigarette and did not experience the painful withdrawal she expected.
She said “52 years and no withdrawal for me!”
2 years later, Elly is still a happy non-smoker.
This is Elly with her CBQ Success Certificate:
Her transformation didn’t stop with quitting smoking. Elly also joined the CBQ Food Freedom Program to create a healthier relationship with food. This is what she shared about her Food Freedom journey:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Jennifer Weygant from Missouri, US, celebrated 4 years smoke-free!
When Jennifer joined the CBQ Program, she committed herself to becoming a happy non-smoker. As she completed the program, Jennifer prepared for her last cigarette with the support of her closest friends and granddaughters.
On her quit day, Jennifer shared, “Here’s to my Freedom Day! Byeeeee cigarettes!” It was the end of what she described as a very long chapter in her life.
This is what Jennifer shared about her journey:
4 years later, Jennifer is still a happy non-smoker.
This is Jennifer with her CBQ Success Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
Today, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Helen Tree from Victoria, Australia, celebrated 4 years smoke-free!
In the past, Helen had smoked on and off for more than 40 years and had tried many different ways to quit. She could stop for a while, but eventually found herself smoking again.
After learning about the CBQ Method, Helen decided to join the CBQ Program. As she worked through it, writing down each cigarette helped her see just how closely smoking was connected to other parts of her life, including alcohol and marijuana. She began to recognize patterns she had never noticed so clearly before, and realized she didn’t want to continue living that way.
By Day 5, Helen was ready to quit, and she did! She continued working through the remaining lessons with the goal of making her quit last.
Two years later, Helen shared that she had absolutely no desire to smoke and could be around smokers without feeling tempted.
This is what Helen shared about her journey:
4 years later, Helen is still a happy non-smoker. This is Helen with her CBQ Success Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Debbie Rybka from Pennsylvania, US, celebrated 6 years smoke-free! Debbie was a smoker for 50 years. She had tried hypnosis, Chantix, and nicotine patches, but quitting was so hard and nothing stuck. After attending the free CBQ masterclass, Debbie decided to join the CBQ Program.
At first, she was scared to set her quit date, but by the end of the program, everything had fallen into place, and Debbie could not believe how easy it was!
6 years later, Debbie is still a happy non-smoker! This is the beautiful Debbie with her CBQ Success Certificate:
Inspiring Freedom
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Gary Brousell from Florida, US, celebrated 3 years smoke-free, and he’s an inspiration!
Gary smoked his first cigarette when he was 13 years old and continued to smoke for the next 61 years, with many attempts to stop.
Gary said, “I suffer from Major depression and GAD. Being smokeless hasn’t made my conditions worse, nor would smoking make me better. Smoking needs to be seen as irrelevant to the human existence. Anyway, that’s how I see it now. Once an essential and controlling part of my life for 61 years, smoking is not going to help me or negatively effect my emotional conditions. DONE.”
A few months ago, Gary joined me for an Ask An Ex interview to share more about his remarkable journey and what helped him quit smoking without feeling deprived.
In our conversation, he reflects on how his life has changed since becoming smoke-free, why it’s never too late to quit, and the mindset that helped him succeed.
Watch the full Ask An Ex interview here:
I hope today’s spotlights inspired you and showed you that you can also break free! A big thank you to our members who gave me permission to share their stories with you.
To your freedom,
Nasia Davos (MBPsS, IPPA, MA)
Ex-Smoker, Psychologist, Creator of the CBQ Method™
P.S. Feeling inspired to break up with nicotine… but don’t know how ready you are to actually do it? Take this quiz to find out how ready you are to quit smoking or vaping in the next 30 days: cbqquiz.com
This free assessment will show you your “Readiness to Quit Smoking” score, identify what might be sabotaging your efforts, and suggest the next best step to take. It’s insightful, personalized, and quick!
Take The “How ready are you to quit smoking?” Quiz Here
